Tried 'Dry January'? Now try Dry Dating

You probably know some someone who participated in “Dry January” and took a break from alcohol for the month. It’s understandable why the trend is popular: to recover from the (often boozy) holiday season and start 2024 on a healthy note.

Staying sober also recently gained more popularity on the dating scene. “Dry Dating” is exactly what it sounds like: meeting someone for a date and skipping the cocktails, beer and wine. But the incentives are a bit different from Dry January. Instead of the health element, singles are turning to sober dating in an effort to get to know their date better, without the social lubricant of a few drinks.

There are quite a few benefits from Dry Dating, like not having a hangover on a Thursday morning and never having to worry about calling an Uber to get home. But the top perk is unmistakably getting to know someone with a clear head on both sides, making it easier to know  whether there’s a genuine connection.

Catherine Gray, author of "The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober," told Dazed, “Alcohol confuses how we feel about our date. Frequently on the 7 p.m. first drink we’ll think, ‘Meh.’ On the second drink, ‘meh’ is a little more mesmerizing. Rinse and repeat four times, and suddenly you’re heavy petting someone you wouldn’t even ordinarily lightly pet.”

More people are open to sober dating than before, a change that seems to have been brought on largely by the COVID-19 pandemic, which changed the way a lot of people approach drinking and their health. The dating app Bumble found that 34% of users say that they’re more likely to go on a date sober now than pre-COVID.

Those who dove into the alcohol-free pool seem to be fans. One woman told Stylist that when her dates were centered around drinking, “I often found myself coming away and wondering if there was any connection or attraction. Or, if I did think there was a connection, I’d go on a second date and realize the only thing we had in common was enjoying pints in a pub.” Now, she prefers getting coffee or going on a walk to meet someone. “I think the effort to be more authentically yourself is there, and it’s clearer if there is a spark or connection.”